Farewell to much-loved Finning employee John

John Morgan was employed by the Caterpillar equipment dealer his entire working life, and retired in April 2011.

He died last month at the age of 73 – just a few months after his wife died.

As a mark of respect and gratitude to John for his extraordinary length of service, a funeral procession was led past the front of the main Cannock head office by a Cat backhoe loader on Friday morning.

It then paused outside the workshop where John spent many happy years, to a round of applause from his 300 colleagues and friends who had come to celebrate the life of a true Finning stalwart.

Dave Primrose, Finning UK & Ireland managing director said: "We were all very sad when we heard the news of John’s sudden passing.

"But, after hearing that John’s daughter, Tracey Joyce, who had flown over from Florida to attend the funeral, wanted her father’s previous employer involved, we were only too happy to help provide a truly memorable send off for a colleague who had showed a lifetime of dedication to the company.

"Hundreds of employees came out to show their appreciation, many of whom had been trained by John in their own early days as apprentices and spoke warmly of his willingness to pass on his knowledge and experience."

John’s daughter, Tracey, added: “My dad would have absolutely loved the day. He was so passionate about the Cat equipment that he serviced and was always very happy working at Finning with ‘the lads.’ He used to bring us to the site for a special treat and we’d be allowed to sit in some of the machines.

“To have all of the employees turn out to say goodbye and help bring back some happy memories is very touching.

“Very sadly, our mum passed away only a few months ago, following a long illness and so the family pass on their heartfelt thanks to the company for organising this fitting tribute at this sad time.”

John originally joined the company in 1961, working for Bowmaker Plant, who were purchased by Finning International, as part of the formation of the UK dealership for Caterpillar. His uncle Enoch Bishop had serviced engines at the Willenhall branch for Bowmaker before it moved across to the newly-built site on the A5 in Cannock; now the Finning head office.

It was Enoch who introduced John to Bowmaker and helped him to get his first job, at 15, as an apprentice.

Always enthusiastic to get stuck in and get his hands dirty, John still applied himself to his classroom studies too. After five years’ hard work, he had completed his apprenticeship and was ready to gain valuable experience in the different areas of the workshop; engines, undercarriage, welding and the ‘back-end’ bay.

After a number of supporting roles, the next step for John was to be promoted to master mechanic, a role reserved for only the most experienced engineers working in the shop, before taking on the position of charge hand, reporting to the foreman.

This was a role that would see John travel to many customers’ sites to look after the machines over the next 15 years - helping nurture some life-long friendships with both colleagues and customers alike.

Speaking at the time of his retirement in 2011, John said: “Caterpillar machines have grown and developed so much over the last 50 years, I’ve never stopped learning or being amazed at what they do.

“I’ve been happy here at Finning and I’ve learnt such a lot during those 50 years. I hope that younger work colleagues close to me will feel I have worked hard to pass on that knowledge and experience, and I wish them all the best for their future careers with Finning.”

John’s funeral was held on Friday, September 6 at West Chapel, Bushbury Crematorium with donations being collected for the British Heart Foundation.